The War of Blood
by Mephiston
Summary: RECONTINUED!!! The Blood Angels are being prepared for the whooping of a life time by the Dark Eldar on the planet Kersha, but when another alien life form appears...
1. Prologue/Ambush

The War of Blood  
by Mort McShort  
  
INTRODUCTION  
  
Hi. I'm Mort McShort. By the way, that's not my real name. Anyways, I'd just like to mention that Space Marines, Blood Angels, and any other stuff I mention about Warhammer 40k are registered trademarks of Games Workshop (that goes for Warhammer Fantasy, too). This is my very first fanfic, so I hope you enjoy it. If there's anything wrong with it, or if you thought it was good, please review it, because I need feedback from readers like you to know what to change when I write my next fanfics. Thanks a lot.  
  
This fanfic dedicated to Grass McAss, Beast McFeast, Hut McNut, Hefty McLefty, and any of my other friends with screwed up nicknames.  
  
* * *  
  
Prologue  
  
It was a day like any other. Wake up, hit the snooze button, go back to sleep, then have a scout sent to my room to yell at me for not waking up on time. You know, it's pretty damn hard to wake up after a night filled with the blood of those Dark Eldar scum splattered all over your power armour. I woke up with great misery and walked down to the mess hall of our basic base. I sat down to eat my daily bowl of grey stuff that was supposed to have a bajillion vitamins in it, thinking about the horrible taste of the crap I was being fed, and recounting what had happened over the past month or so.   
This is the 41st millennia. More specifically, Year 40,000, Month 8, Day 21. But I could still remember the grim events that all started in Month 7, Day 14...  
  
* * *  
  
I was only one of the Blood Angels Squad 8 sent to the Ruins of Albion to see what the hell happened there. There were 7 of us: Sargeant Reed, Tkchar, Juman, Milhouse, Sompar and Arier (both on bikes, if I may add), and myself, Tarem Mirar. The Sarge said we were to follow the Belarus River to the crash site, but some of us disagreed when we came to the patch of land where the path to the Belarus River forks off to another path that leads to the Ruins of Albion. Milhouse, Arier, and I argued that we could be ambushed if we were to take the Belarus River. Orks were rumoured to have a couple of camps in the forest there.  
"If we take the Belarus River path, we don't know what will be ahead!" yelled Milhouse.  
"At least we know where we're going," replied the Sarge with a slight sneer detected in his voice.  
"It'll be safer the other way, thought." I couldn't help but agree with Milhouse.  
"Hey look, I'm the Sargeant here, and you'll do whatever the hell I tell you to do. If I tell you to jump, you jump. If I tell you run, you run. If I tell you to rush right into the middle of a Dark Eldar encampment, you better do not. If anyone here doesn't agree with me, they'll deal with my chainsword." He snapped the switch on and off, which made the blades whirr for a second. Squad 8 was a squad not to be reckoned with when it came to the subject of determination, but even Tkchar - the most stubborn of the group - knew when to shut up.  
We walked down the grassy path, on the alert for any Ork ambushes. Everything was silent except for the occasional screeching of Lemmin Owls, and the gentle hum of the bikes. Those who had knives slashed the long branches of trees in the way, while others had their boltguns at the ready.  
"Hey, what's that up there?" whispered Arier. He pointed towards two Ultramarine helmets protruding from a bush about 20 meters away.  
"What the hell are they doing here? They're supposed to be battling with the Tyrannids in Rathgor! Tkchar, go up there and see what they're doing," barked the Sarge's commands.  
Tkchar slowly walked over to the bush. He only got 3 meters away from it before a long stick with the one of the heads impaled on them plunged straight into his chest. He stumbled a few steps before exploding into a bloody mess. We were all shocked. None of us could raise our boltguns and pull the trigger. That is, until the second head-on-a-stick came flying towards us.  
"It's a Stikk Bomm! Retreat! Retreat!" yelled the Sarge at the top of his lungs. You see, turning around and running isn't exactly the easiest thing to do, especially if you're wearing power armour. Sompar and Arier had even more of a problem because of the bikes.  
Blood Angels Squad 8 ran as fast as they could. I envied Arier because of ability to get as far away even quicker than we could. Sompar, however, wasn't as lucky. With an IQ of only 95, he wouldn't even be able to figure out a simple riddle that a child could easily answer. Being an easy target, the Stikk Bomm flew straight towards him. Or at least that's what we thought. It hit the gas tank, and the bike blew up right in front of our eyes. We were a pretty far distance away from him, but some of us weren't gonna the oncoming flames. We ran even harder, watching as Sargeant Reed tripped and was overtaken by the fiery explosion. I can still remember his screams of agony as he was burned to the bone.  
Usually, the rest of us would become un-coordinated because the Sargeant was killed. Except for the fact that now, the only command would be to run. 


	2. On the run

center CHAPTER 2: ON THE RUNcenter  
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My kingdom, my kingdom for a jump pack. The Orkz, with their bolt pistols and crude knives, ran at us at top speed. Then came the only too-familiar battle cry.  
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The cheer erupted like a geyser from the oncoming green mass.   
"Over there! Behind the stones!" Milhouse signalled for us to hide behind them. Milhouse, Juman, and I dove behind the rocks and aimed our boltguns at the rushing Orkz. They reminded me of a history class about ancient sports. I now knew what it was like to play football.   
"What about the bike?" asked Arier, his voice showing a clear sound of panic.   
"Ditch it," I said, unsuccessfully trying to hide the panic in my voice. Arier swerved the bike beside the row of rocks, and hopped off. He easily ripped off the two guns on the bike, and joined us taking cover behind the rocks, which we were unusually lucky to find. We aimed, and fired. I'd say there were about 20 Orkz, maybe even 30, which could easily be taken down by a squad of marines. But seeing that our Sergeant and two other troops are dead, it would be a lot harder. About 3 went down, victims of our gunfire. Orkz were stupid, but not stupid enough to run away when you know you're going to win. Besides, what would a few dead comrades do to them? Juman ran out of bullets, so Arier tossed him one of the bike guns, replacing it with his own boltgun. It was too bad Milhouse went down due to a bullet - no, make that 2 - in his head. His body flew a few feet before landing in a cloud of dust. That's when I remembered our frag and crack grenades. After throwing my emptied boltgun at the Orkz, I collected our green saviours, readied them all, and threw them all at once. This would've killed almost all of them, except for the fact that something happened; something that's not supposed to happen. The Orkz shot all but one of the frag and crack grenades right out of the air. The remaining one felled 4 Ork Boyz. That meant 2 Orkz left, thanks to Juman's amazing accuracy. When the last Ork fell, we held our breaths. Was it over? Was it finally over? Yes, it had to be. Or so we thought.  



	3. Disruption

CHAPTER 3: DISRUPTION  
  
The trek back was that of a long one. We took our time, but still remained cautious in case of another ambush. I constantly tried to make contact with HQ, but something was disrupting the signals. This was not a good sign. Anything could have happened to HQ. The Orks might've staged a raid, but we're strong enough to fend them off... but if... no, that would be impossible. I tried to divert my thoughts to the purple and red flowers dotting the sides of the path. If only life was easier... no wars... only peace... but peace will never come. Planets will be destroyed, galaxies dead, before there would be peace. And why? Why all this hate and corruption? Very few know, as they are the few who have quietly sneaked into the labs of the stained Chaos Space Marines and Dark Eldar. Those are the few that have gone out of their minds learning of why they have changed to evil ways, and have seen the torturous actions that they can implicate on the poor victims they have taken alive. Many say they'd rather be dead than to be captured by the Dark Eldar... We know all too well why they would, after seeing them in battle countless times, over and over, seeing our comrades fall fighting the evils of the universe...  
Time passes too quickly when you're not concentrating on where you're going. The few remaining members of Blood Angels Squad 8 trudged up a muddy hill; the famous HQ building slowly getting nearer and nearer. Yes, we were finally there.  
  
* * *  
  
There was a meeting held only a few minutes after we arrived. Apparently, they were waiting for us to get there before they started.  
I walked into the large conference building, which always seemed larger when you were inside it. I took my seat somewhere near the back, letting those with poorer eyesight than I sit closer to the Holo-projector. Everyone always told me I had special eyes. I had a pair of the some real-good eyes, which I treasured. Sometimes I get to thinking that my eyes were the only reason I passed the Night Hunt test. Probably not, though.  
When I sat down, the Holo-projector didn't catch my eyes first, like it usually does. In fact, it wasn't even turned on. What really surprised me were the Space Marines. No, no, not the Blood Angels I see day after day. We're talking Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Black Templar; you know, the big chapters. I'd say there were about two squads from each chapter, and a leader. Damn, this was gonna be real important.   



	4. Received Transmission

CHAPTER 4: RECEIVED TRANSMISSION  
  
"As you may all know, this is a very important meeting. First of all, we would like to thank the representatives of the Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Black Templar, and Crimson Fist for coming." All of the Blood Angels respectively applauded.   
"But first, let's get down to what exactly is happening." I really hated this old man, as he would drone on and on for hours. I secretly began to turn off half of my brain so that I could sleep through this, but then I remembered that this wasn't the usual monthly "clean up the headquarters" meeting.   
"As the battle between the Emperor's finest and the Dark Eldar continues, we all know that allies can help greatly. We already have the help of the subtle Imperial Guard, which can sometimes be more of a hindrance than help, the courageous Sisters of Battle, and very rarely, the formidable Eldar. Now, as more and more Dark Eldar are just appearing out of nowhere, we need as much help as we can get. The Sisters of Battle are currently holding back the Tyranids from reaching the Ultimatum Stronghold, and mopping floors are already a tough enough job for them. As for the Eldar, we haven't been able to rely on them ever since they were convinced we were trying to kill them."   
Oh, great, another speech on how we need to be constantly alert. I set half of my brain to sleep mode.  
"Recently … probe … discovered … Koath System … 696.M41 … I … read …" WHAT?! I snapped awake, then tried to hide what I did, a little embarrassed. I hope that old geezer didn't notice…  
"Stranger, I bid you greetings in the name of the Tau. If you are reading this then you will have encountered one of our messenger drones and are therefore a spacefaring race. Soon you will see more evidence of us, this is no cause for alarm.  
"When you encounter one of our ships or outposts then welcome it. We have much to offer to a faithful friend. We are five castes, one people. The Earth Caste build and manufacture, the Air Caste pilot and navigate, the Water Caste liaise and arbitrate, the Fire Caste guard our holdings and defeat our enemies.  
"All are bound to the dream of bringing a new way to the universe. I hope you will choose to share the culture, technology, and protection of the Tau Empire.  
The one constant in the universe is change, the wise adapt.  
-Believe in our destiny"  
A slow chain of mumbling quickly grew louder and louder.   
"Please! Do not be alarmed! Do you not realize that they possess the potential to help us defeat the Dark Eldar once and for all?" That was true, the people of the Tau Empire did sound very intelligent, and seemed to want to do good for the rest of the world. But what if this was all a front to get into our front lines and defeat us from within?  
"Are there any questions at all?"  
"What if this is just a plan made by the Dark Eldar to trick us into a trap?"  
"Very interesting question, but according to our librarians, this probe," with that, he pulled a large white blanket off of a big lump on a table, which now revealed something quite peculiar. It was orange in colour, but not solid orange. It looked more like the mix of the orange you see at a sunset when a large battle has been won, and the colour of an ancient fruit called a peach. It had many odd raised areas, but I really cannot describe it to you. The professor continued with the librarians' findings. "Is not of Dark Eldar technology. In fact, this is too advanced for even the Eldar!" A murmur arose in the crowd again. You had to be super advanced if you wanted to beat the technology of the Eldar.  
"As you can see, this is a very advanced race. They can prove to be a great help to us. That is, if anyone here objects to it. If you want to just kill the Tau now, raise your hand." 3 or 4 of the Ultramarine troops raised their hands. Very unnoticeably, the professor pressed a small, red button beneath the table. Remember, I do have good eyes. Two Blood Angels with Jump Packs swiftly jumped into the room, jumped off the table up to the Ultramarine, and dismembered him with their chainswords. A piece of his chest eagle bounced off my helmet. Uck.  
"Anyone else object?" The other Ultramarines just kinda shifted in their seats, but didn't say a word. "Good." We have sent back a probe to Koath System 696.M41 saying we will meet them in a week on the planet Colzagg of the Myther System. A few people groaned. I noticed that Felder, my best friend, was one of them. He always hated flying.  
"Meanwhile, our guests will join us in training for the meeting with the Tau, in the possibility that they may not trust us and attack us. They will also be helping us until the Dark Eldar either surrender or are killed!" Those who weren't already asleep by now erupted in a loud cheer. As we all rushed out the double doors, he yelled, "Good luck! You'll need it!" Luck? My ass.  



End file.
